Truck.



PATENT-ED MAY 28.1907.

P. KERRIGAN.

TRUGK.

APPLICATION IIL'EID MAR. 2, 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

MW I

. pd idswio n' WJW No. 855,405. PATENTED MAY 28, 1907.

. P. KERRIGAN.

TRUCK.

APPLIUATIOFIILBD MAR. 2,1908.

. 2 sums-sum a;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PHILIP KERRIGAN,

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-THIRDS HIMSELF AND ONE-THIRD TOEDWARD S. AVERILL, OF CHICAGO, ILLI- N OIS.

TRUCK.

Patented May 28, 1907.

Application filed March 2 1906. Serial No. 303,798.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, PHILIP KERRIGAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Trucks, of Which thefollowing is a specification, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings.

This invention relates to trucks of the kind ordinarily employed byrailway and express companies for moving baggage and express packagesacross railway platforms to and from trains. It sometimes ha pens thatsuch trucks are left so close to t track that the suction produced by arapidlymoving train will cause such trucks to be drawn under or againstthe train, thereby causing a serious accident; and it sometimes happensthat such trucks are accidentally rolled from the positions in whichthey are left by other means.

It is the object of my invention to rovide a new and im roved automaticraking mechanism of w n'ch the vertically-movable pivoted tongue, withwhich all such trucks are equipped for moving them about, forms a part,whereby, upon the dropping of the tongue by the party holding the truck,brakes will be instantly and effectively applied to the front'wheels ofthe truck, thus insuring the truck against accidental movement.

It is a further object of my invention to provide braking mechanismsupported wholly from the front axle of such truck so that the brakingof the truck will be equally well effected regardless of the positioninto which the tongue may be turned-that is, regardless of whether thetongue projects straight in front of the truck or is turned to liewholly beneath the truck latform, or at any point intermediate of tfiesetwo positions.

I accomplish these objects by the means shown in the drawings andhereinafter specifically described.

That which I regard as new will be set forth in the claims.

In the drawings,Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved truck,partly in section, the section being taken at line 11 of Fig. 3. In thisfigure is also shown in dotted lines the position of the parts when thetongue is turned completely under the truck platform;

e railroad Fig. 2 is a top or plan view of the running gear,the rearbolster being in section, and the platform of the truck and the metalcircles or fifth-wheel being removedjFig. 3 is a rear view of the frontaxle portion offli 'the truck,the platform being in section, suchsection being taken at line 33 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a vertical sectionthrough the forward part of the truck, taken at line 44 of Fig. 2; Fig.5 is a detail, showing the manner of connecting the brake-rod to thebrakebeam; and Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail, being a vertical section atline 66 of Fig. 3, and illustrating the means for supporting thebrake-beam.

Referring to the several figures of the drawings, in which correspondingparts are indicated by like reference numerals,10 indicates the truckplatform.

11 indicates the front wheels; 12 the rear wheels.

13 indicates the front axle, 14 the rear axle, and 15 the single bolstercarried by the rear axle and upon which rests the platform 10.

16 indicates the axle-bolster, and 17 the body-bolster at the forwardend of the truck,- these two bolsters being connected by a kingbolt 17.

18 and 19 indicate the circles constituting the ordinary fifth-wheel,which are carried, respectively, by the axle-bolster 16 and bodybolster17, as usual,such circles being braced, respectively, by suitable braces20 and 21.

22 indicates a tongue secured by diagonal braces 23 to the forward axle13, as usual, and provided at its forward end with a handle portion 24.

The parts so far described are the ordinary parts of trucks of thiskind, constructed and arranged in the usual and well-known manner.

25 indicates a brake-beam extending across the truck in rear of theforward wheels 11 and carrying suitable shoes 26 adapted to be forcedagainst such rear wheels 11. This brake-beam is mounted on the rear endsof two arms 27,-such arms, in the construction shown, incliningdownwardly toward the rear of the truck and being secured at theirforward ends to the rear face of the axle-bolster 16. As shown, they aresecured to this axle-bolster by bolts 28 passing through suchaxle-bolster and through an up-turned end 29 of the arm 27,-theup-turned end 29 and the arm 27 being braced together by a suitablebrace 30. If desired, these parts 27, 29 and 30 can be formedintegrally, as indicated in the drawings. The brake-beam is providedwithtwo openings 31 through which pass the inclined arms 27 ,such openings31 being large enough to permit the brake-beam to be moved freely onsuch inclined arms.

32 indicates a brake-rod, which, in the form of construction shown, isdoubled on itself so as to form two parallel parts,the ends of such rodpassing through suitable openings in the brake-beam 25 and adjustablysecured in place by nuts 33 secured thereon and bearing against theinner and outer faces of such brake-beam. This brake-rod 32, as shown,is bent upward just forward of its connection with the brake-beam 25,and, as shown, passes through slots 34 formedin the upper edge of theaxle-bolster 16. The forward portion of this brake-rod which, in theconstruction shown, is the bent central portion of the rodis connectedto the tongue 22, the connection, in the construction shown, beingthrough a link 35 that is connected by a suitable pivot 36 to a plate 37that is bolted to the upper face. of the tongue. As clearly shown inFig. 4, and as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, the rear end of thelink 35 has formed in it an elongated eye 38, through which the bentbrake-rod 32 passes.

When the parts are assembled, the brake beam 25 will be adjusted bymeans of the nuts 33 on the ends of the brake-rod 32 so that thebrake-shoes will stand clear of the front wheels when the tongue 22 israised into the position that it will assume when the truck is to bemoved, but will be drawn up against the wheels through the pullingaction of the brake-rod when the tongue is dropped. By reason of thepivoted link 35, to which the forward end of the brake-rod 32 isattached, and also by reason of the elongated eye in which the rod issecured, a considerable range of vertical movement of the tongue ispermitted without drawing the brakes against the wheels, and this isimportant in that the tongue is frequently jerked up and down more orless as the truck is dragged along, due to inequalities in the surfaceover which it is drawn, and it is also important in that it permits ofthe tongue being raised or lowered within considerable limits toaccommodate men of different heights who may have to handle the truck.Attention has been directed to the fact that the parts 27 upon which thebrakebeam is slidingly mounted are inclined downward toward the rear,and such inclination I regard as of considerable value for two reasons.First, that it brings the brake-shoes against the wheels at points alittle below the axle of such wheels, which is the proper place to applythe brakes for the best results, as is well known, and, second, becauseowing to the upward inclination of the rear part of the brake-rod 32 thepull of such brake-rod is not only in a forward direction but also tosome extent in an upward direction, and therefore the brake-beam is moreeasily moved toward the wheels on the inclined supporting-bars than ifsuch bars were perfectly horizontal.

As best shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the slots 34 in the axle-bolster 16 arelocated at each side of the king-bolt 17 with the result that the endsof the rod 32 are attached at equal distances from the center of thebrake-beam, thus insuring the brake-beam being moved forward or backwithout binding against the sides of these supporting-bars 27. It willalso be noted that the entire braking mechanism and all its attachedparts are connected with the forward axle of the truck or the axlebolster carried thereby. This construction permits of an equallyeflicient application of the brake-shoes to the wheels regardless of theposition to which the tongue may be turned laterally, and an equallyefficient application of the brake-shoes when the tongue is turnedentirely beneath the truck platform, as indicated in dotted lines inFig.1; for, inasmuch as all of the parts move together, they alwaysoccupy the same relative position and the dropping of the tongue will atany time exert a pull on the brake-rod 32, causing the brake-beam toslide up on its supporting-bars 27 and set the brake-shoes against thewheels.

I'have shown and described my improvements applied to an ordinary formof baggage-truck, as it is in connection with such a device that I deemmy invention to be of peculiar value, but it is evident that other formsof wheeled vehicles can also be provided with my improvements, and Itherefore wish it to be understood that, while described in connectionwith a baggage truck, the invention is not restricted to such use.

That which I claim as my invention. and desire to secure by LettersPatent is 1. In a wheeled vehicle, the combination with a pivotedtongue, of a brake-beam in rear of and adjacent to the front wheels ofthe vehicle, a rod connected at its rear end to the brake-beam, and apivoted-arm on the tongue provided with an elongated eye, into which eyethe forward end of said rod projects, substantially as described.

I 2. In a wheeled vehicle, the combination with the front axle thereofand a bolster, of a pivoted tongue, a brake-beam in rear of and adjacentto the front wheels of the vehicle, and a rod connected at its forwardend to the tongue and at its rear end to the brake-beam and adapted topull the brake-beam forward when the forward end of the tongue isldropped, said bolster being slotted for the passage of said rod,substantially as deengaging the brake-beam, and a rod conscribed. neetedat its rear end to said brake-beam and 3. In a Wheeled vehicle, thecombination at its front end to said tongue and passing with the frontvaxle thereof, a movable through an opening in said bolster, substan- 5tongue connected therewith and a bolster on tially as described.

said axle, of a brake-beam in rear of and adjacent to the front wheelsof the vehicle, a PHILIP KERRIGAN' supporting-bar for said brakebea1nsecured Witnesses:

to said bolster, said supporting-bar extend- ALBERT H. ADAMS,

1o ing rearwardly and downwardly and loosely MINNIE A. HUNTER.

